Clock-radio sleep switch



Sept. 4, 1962 F. KOEHLER 3,052,766

CLOCK-RADIO SLEEP SWITCH Filed Feb. 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fred Kaefi INVENTOR.

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Sept. 4, 1962 F. KOEHLER CLOCK-RADIO SLEEP SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 11, 1959 INVENTOR.

United States Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvaina Filed Feb. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 792,559 10 Claims. (Cl. 200-38) This invention relates to clock-radios and in particu lar to a sleep switch for a clock-radio which permits the radio to be played for a preselected length of time and which then automatically turns off the radio.

The clock-radio of the present invention utilizes an alarm ringing switch of the type disclosed in assignees copending application Serial No, 761,343, filed September 16, 1958. The sleep switch to be described hereinafter is capable of being used either in a battery operated clockradio or in one that is operated from commercially available electric power. The clock movement employed in the subject clock-radio is of the type shown in Koehler Patent No. 2,662,366.

Clock-radios were initially designed to turn on the radio in the morning a few minutes before the setting for the alarm so that a person could be awakened less rudely than by the sounding of the alarm. More recently, clock-radios have been developed which not only turn the radio on in the morning, but also automatically turn the radio off in the evening so that a person may be lulled to sleep while listening to his favorite program with the assurance that the radio will be turned off without playing through the night. Thus there is no danger that the radio might awaken the person later during the night at a time when he may be sleeping more lightly. The present invention relates to a novel switch of the latter type and in particular to what is designated a sleep switch which enables the user to select the amount of time that the radio shall play in the evening before it is automatically turned off.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a sleep switch that is reliable, easy to operate, and simple in construction.

It is another object of the present invention to isolate the sleep switch mechanism from the main gear train of the clock when the sleep switch is not in operation.

These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification and claims and appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial vertical section of the clock showing a Koehler type clock which has been provided with a sleep switch of the present invention the section extending through the sleep switch along line 1-1 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the sleep switch A of the present invention partially in section and with parts removed for purposes of clarity.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the dial train of a Koehler type clock is shown consisting of a pillar plate 10 and dial plate 12 through which extends a center wheel sleeve 13. Received within an opening 14 in the dial plate 12 is a setting hand hub 16 which carries a setting hand 18. The setting hand hub 16 has an outwardly extending peripheral flange 20 which bears against the outer face of the dial plate 12 and has a reduced diameter portion 22 at its inner end. An alarm setting wheel 24 is mounted on the reduced diameter portion 22 and engages an annular bearing member 26 on the back of the dial plate 12.

An hour wheel hub 28 carrying an hour wheel 34 is mounted within the setting hand hub 16 and also carries an hour hand 30. The hour wheel 34 meshes with the minute pinon 36. The minute pinion is mounted on a staff 38 and carries a minute wheel 40 which is driven by cannon pinion 42 on the center Wheel sleeve 13. The center wheel sleeve 13 carries the minute hand 45 and also supports the outer end of the center staff 46 carrying a second hand 48.

The hour wheel 34 has pinned thereto an actuating stud 50 having a triangular side elevation which mates with a conjugately shaped actuating stud 52 pinned to the alarm setting wheel 24. The height of the two studs 50 and 52 and the spacing between the alarm setting wheel and hour wheel is such that the inclined surfaces on the studs engage one another when the rotation of the hour wheel brings the stud 50 to the stud 52. As the sloping surfaces of studs 50 and 52 are brought into contact, there is a tendency to force the hour wheel 34 to the left in FIGURE 1. The hour wheel hub 28 is loosely mounted on center wheel sleeve 13 to permit axial movement therealong.

This tendency to move the hour wheel 34 is resiliently resisted by an elongated alarm release spring 58 which is suitably fastened to the pillar plate 10 at one end as shown and described in assignees referenced application Serial No. 761,343. The spring 58 is apertured at 60 to pass the center wheel sleeve 13 and is provided with nibs 62 which bear against the end of the hour wheel hub 28. Mounted in the upper end of the alarm release spring 58 is a switch actuating pin 64 which may be friction fitted to the alarm release spring at 66. The actuating pin 64 extends through an opening 68 in the pillar plate 10.

As is well understood by those skilled in the art, the alarm setting wheel 24 and its associated hand 18 may be rotated by a suitable setting knob so as to bring the stud 52'to the desired hour position. As the hour wheel 34 then rotates, the stud 50' thereon will eventually reach this pre-set desired hour position, the stud-s 50 and 52 will engage one another, and the hour wheel 34 will be moved to the left in FIGURE 1 against the resilient resistance of alarm release spring 58. Further details of operation for the alarm switch may be found in the referenced application Serial No. 761,343.

Referring to both FIGURES 1 and 2, the sleep switch of the present invention will now be described. A timing minute wheel pinion 72 meshes with cannon pinion 42 and rotates about staff 74. A sleeve 76 is concentric with timing minute wheel 72 and is fixedly attached thereto as by a staking operation indicated at 78. The sleeve 76 is provided with a shoulder 80 which overlies the timing minute wheel 72 on the side opposite the staking operation 78. Sleeve 76 carries a timing minute wheel pinion 82 which is freely rotatable thereon. Pinion 82 is provided with a concave face 84 which is substantially conical and lies opposite a convex substantially conical surface 86 on the sleeve 76. A flat spring washer 88 is compressed between the mating surfaces 84 and 86 so that pinion 82 is frictionally driven from cannon pinion 42 through timing minute wheel 72, sleeve 76 and washer 88,

Timing minute wheel pinion 82 meshes with the teeth of a timing rack 90. Screws 93 and 95 are provided with smooth shoulders 97 and 99, respectively, which rest upon washers 101 so as to elevate the rack 90 above the level of timing minute wheel 72. The screws 93 and 95 are provided with threads 103 to threadedly engage pillar plate 10. Timing rack 90 is provided with a longitudinal slot which parallels its longitudinal axis and the inner sides of the slot are slidably engaged by the smooth shoulders 97 and 99 of screws 93 and 95 so as to be guided thereby. Timing rack 90 is further provided with a fiat camming surface 102 opposite the teeth 104 of the rack.

A mounting block 105 is fixed relative to the pillar plate by a screw 106. Mounting block 105 is electrically insulated from the pillar plate by any suitable means, not shown, and carries an elongated spring contact 108. Mounting block 105' is positioned slightly askew to the camming surface 102 so as to urge a V- shaped follower 110 of the elongated spring contact 108 against camming surface 102. When the V-shaped follower 110 of spring contact 108 engages the fiat camming surface 102 it is also in engagement with an upstanding contact 112 of a stationary radio contact 114 which is electrically insulated from pillar plate 10 by insulation 115, see FIGURE 1.

Timing rack 90 is provided with an oblique corner surface 116 near cam follower 110. Thus it is apparent that the V-shaped follower 110 of spring contact 108 follows the flat camming surface 10-2 until the timing rack 90 has been moved longitudinally so that the V- shaped follower 110 follows the oblique surface 116, the follower being urged thereagainst by virtue of the skew in the mounting of block 105. The spring contact 108 at that time moves away from upstanding contact 112 of the stationary radio contact 114.

A setting pinion 120 is fixedly mounted on shaft 122 which extends through the dial plate 12 and a suitable knob, not shown, is attached to the end of shaft 122 exterior of the front of the clock to move a pointer 124 attached to shaft 122 to provide an indication of the length of time that the radio shall play before being urned off by the actuation of the sleep switch. The position of the timing rack 90 as shown in FIGURE 2 is such as to produce a sixty minute playing time for the radio. This time designation is indicated in phantom as being on the front of the clock, but it will be appreciated that the indicator could just as easily be placed on the rear of the clock by extending shaft 122 through the pillar plate and providing it with a suitable knob in the rear of the clock.

Although a substantial portion of the operation of the sleep switch will be understood from the foregoing description, a summary of the operation is as follows: Setting pinion 120 is rotated by means of the knob external of the clock to turn the radio on for a number of minutes indicated by pointer 124. Rotation of setting pinion 120 causes timing rack 90* to be moved upward and to the left in FIGURE 2. This causes the V-shaped follower 110 to move outwardly on the oblique surface 116 until it engages and slides along flat camming surface 102 thereby bringing the end of spring contact 108 into electrical contact with the upstanding contact 112 of stationary radio contact 114 to turn the radio on. Linear motion of the timing rack 90 in moving toward its preset position, causes timing minute wheel pinion 82 to rotate but this motion is not transmitted to timing minute wheel 72 since the resiliency of fiat spring washer 88 permits pinion 82 to slip with respect to timing minute wheel 72.

The timing rack 90 is then driven in the direction of the arrow through cannon pinion 4-2, timing minute wheel 72, sleeve 76, fiat spring 88, and pinion 82 which meshes with the teeth of the timing rack 90. The teeth 104 of timing rack 90 cause the setting pinion 120 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG- URE 2 and pointer 124 moves at the same rate as setting pinion 120 to give an indication of the time remaining for the radio to play. Shortly before the end 118 of slot 100 is reached, the V-shaped follower 110 encounters the end of fiat camming surface 102 and begins to move along oblique surface 116 in response to the bias in the spring contact 108. Spring contact 108 moves away from the upstanding contact 112 of stationary radio contact 114 thereby automatically turning the radio off. The smooth shoulder 97 contacts the end 118 of slot 100 at which time the resiliency of fiat spring washer 88 permits pinion 82 to slip with respect to timing minute wheel 72.

Although it is convenient to make the maximum time that the radio will play 60 minutes, by suitable gearing, that is, by making timing minute wheel 72 larger, the maximum playing time for the radio may be increased. Also, as has been pointed out previously, any suitable recess may be used at the appropriate point along fiat camming surface 102 to cause the spring contact 108 to move away from the upstanding contact 112 of the stationary radio contact 114.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electric contact for said switch, a stationary electric contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electric contact, a reciprocable member mounted parallel to said pillar plate constantly engaged by said movable contact, means for driving said reciprofor said switch.

cable member linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, and said reciprocable member having a cutaway portion to permit movable electric contact to break contact with said stationary electric contact after a predetermined movement of said reciprocable member.

2. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary eelctrical contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electrical contact, a reciprocable member mounted parallel to said pillar plate constantly engaged by said movable contact, means for driving said reciprocable member in a first direction linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, means for pre-setting said reciprocable member by moving said reciprocable member opposite said first direction, means for biasing said movable contact toward said reciprocable member, and said reciprocable member having a cutaway portion to permit said movable electrical contact to break contact with said stationary electrical contact after a predetermined movement of said reciprocable member.

3. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary electrical contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electrical contact, a reciprocable member mounted parallel to said pillar plate constantly engaged by said movable contact, means for driving said reciprocable member linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, said reciprocable member having a cutaway portion to permit said movable electrical contact to break contact with said stationary electrical contact after a predetermined movement of said reciprocable member, and friction means permitting said driving means for said reciprocable member to slip after contact is broken between said movable and stationary contacts 4. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary electrical contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable with said movable electrical contact, a rack mounted for reciprocation parallel to said pillar plate, means for driving said rack linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, first and second camming surfaces on said rack engageable by said movable contact, means for biasing said movable contact towards said first and second camming surfaces and for breaking the contact between said movable and stationary contacts when said movable contact engages said second camming surface.

5. In a portable clock-radio as set out in claim 4 wherein said first camming surface is parallel to the teeth of said rack and said second camming surface is at an oblique angle to said first camming surface extending away from said stationary contact.

'6. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary electrical contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electrical contact, a rack mounted for reciprocation parallel to said pillar plate, means for driving said rack in a first direction linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, first and second camming surfaces on said rack engageable by said movable contact, means for biasing said movable contact toward-s said first and second camming surfaces and for breaking the contact between said movable and stationary contacts when said movable contact engages said second camming surface, manually controlled gear means meshing with said rack to move said rack opposite said first direction to preset said rack, and a pointer associated with said manually controlled gear means to indicate the length of time that will expire before contact is broken between said movable and stationary contacts.

7. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary electrical contact for' said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electrical contact, a rack mounted for reciproction parallel to said pillar plate, means for driving said rack linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, first and second camming surfaces on said rack engageable by said movable contact, means for biasing said movable contact towards said first and second camming surfaces and for breaking the contact between said movable and stationary contacts when said movable contact engages said second camming surface, and friction means permitting said driving means for said rack to slip after contact is broken between said movable and stationary contacts for said switch.

8. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary electrical contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electrical contact, a rack mounted for reciprocation parallel to said pillar plate, means for driving said rack linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, said rack having an elongated slot extending substantially parallel to the teeth of said rack, guide means extending through said slot for maintaining the motion of said rack linear, first and second camming surfaces on said rack engageable by said movable contact, means for biasing said movable contact towards said first and second camming surfaces and for breaking the contact between said movable and stationary contacts when said movable contact engages said second camming surface, and said guide means providing a stop for said rack after contact is broken etween said movable and stationary contacts.

9. In a portable clock-radio having a battery operated timepiece and a switch associated with said timepiece for de-energizing said radio after a predetermined period of time, the improvement comprising; a pillar plate for said timepiece, a gear train mounted on said pillar plate for driving the hands of said timepiece, a movable electrical contact for said switch, a stationary electrical contact for said switch mounted on said pillar plate and engageable by said movable electrical contact, a rack mounted for reciprocation parallel to said pillar plate, means for driving said rack in a first direction linearly with time from the train of said timepiece, said rack having an elongated slot extending substantially parallel to the teeth of said rack, guide means extending through said slot for maintaining the motion of said rack linear, first and second camming surfaces on said rack engageable by said movable contact, means for biasing said movable contact toward said first and second camming surfaces and for breaking the contact between said movable and stationary contacts when said movable contact engages said second camming surface, said guide means providing a stop for said rack after contact is broken between said movable and stationary contacts, manually controlled gear means meshing with said rack to move said rack opposite said first direction to preset said rack, and a pointer associated with said manually controlled gear means to indicate the length of time that will expire before contact is broken between said movable and stationary contacts.

10. In a portable clock-radio as set out in claim 9 wherein said guide means provides a stop to limit the amount of pre-set that is established by said manually controlled gear means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,030,435 Schureman June 25, 1912 2,458,853 Hughes Jan. 11, 1949 2,626,660 Seeler et a1. Jan. 27, 1953 2,641,661 Puerner et a1. June 9, 1953 2,878,686 Gerhardt et al Mar. 24, 1959 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE. OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,052,766 September 4, 1962 I Fred Koehler I It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 30, for "urned" read turned column 4, line 34, after "permit" insert said line 43, for '"eelctrical" read electrical column 5, line 55, for "reciproction" read reciprocation o Signed and sealed this 23rd day of April 1963a (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID L-LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE, OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,052,766 September 4, 1962 Fred Koehler It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 30, for "urned" read turned column 4, line 34, after "permit" insert said line 43, for "eelctrical" read electrical column 5, line 55 for "reciproction" read reciprocation Signed and sealed this 23rd day of April 1963,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

